News On Japan

With Nuclear Regulation Authority approval, two reactors at the Sendai power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, moved a step closer to restarting. Currently all 48 commercial reactors in Japan are offline. (Nikkei)

Former runner Yoshinori Sakai, who was the final torchbearer at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, has died. He was 69 years old. (NHK)

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday searched an office of an affiliate gang of the Sumiyoshi-kai in Shinjuku Ward over the alleged sale of drugs to singer Aska, reports Nippon News Network (Sept. 10). (Tokyo Reporter)

Japan's Nikkei share average closed higher on Wednesday, erasing earlier losses after the yen plumbed its weakest levels for six years against the dollar, which lifted exporters such as Honda Motor Co and Panasonic Corp. (brecorder.com)

The Japanese government has made 27 revisions to its draft standards for the application of the designated state secrets protection law, based on comments from the public, it was learned Wednesday. (Jiji Press)

Negotiators from Japan and the United States have once again walked away from trade talks empty-handed. But they will keep trying to reach an agreement on their part in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact. (NHK)

Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga said Wednesday he will run in the Okinawa gubernatorial election in November, on a platform of opposition to the planned relocation of a U.S. military base within the prefecture. (Japan Times)

Japan placed 40th among 48 nations and regions in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) in 2013, another year of bottom-scraping rankings for the country, according to test organizers. (Asahi)

Japanese tennis sensation Kei Nishikori may have lost the U.S. Open final, but he has won a 100 million yen special bonus from a sponsor delighted about seeing its brand splashed across screens worldwide. (Japan Today)

Japan's three largest mobile phone carriers said Sept. 10 that they will start sales of Apple Inc.'s new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on Sept. 19. (Asahi)

The salmon run in northeastern Japan this autumn will likely plummet by 40 percent compared with last year due to damage to hatcheries caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. (Asahi)

The ongoing outbreak of dengue fever traced to Tokyo's Yoyogi Park is prompting consumers to snap up anti-mosquito skin sprays in a season when sales of the item usually decline, while a novel type of mosquito guard is also seeing a sudden surge in demand, industry sources say. (Japan Times)

Benesse Holdings Inc. said Wednesday that it will give 500-yen cash vouchers to customers affected by the recent information leak scandal at its core education service unit. (Jiji Press)

It may still be several days before they can even order a new iPhone and more than a week until they can pick it up (Sept 19), but dedicated fans in Japan have already begun queueing. (Japan Today)

Police said Wednesday that a visually impaired high school girl suffered injuries on Monday after she was kicked from behind while walking along yellow Braille blocks near JR Kawagoe Station in Saitama Prefecture. (Japan Today)

Four Chinese Coast Guard ships temporarily intruded into Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Wednesday. (NHK)

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and handed him a letter from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday. (Kyodo)

Japanese police on Thursday arrested the leader of an influential "yakuza" crime syndicate for involvement in the murder of a former fisheries cooperative chief 16 years ago. (NHK)

Japan's Nikkei share average rose to a near eight-month high on Thursday morning as the weak yen lifted sentiment ahead of a meeting later in the day between the central bank governor and prime minister fuelled expectations for additional easing. (brecorder.com)

A few weeks ago, a handful of motorists in Chiba Prefecture witnessed a sight few of us will ever be fortunate enough to see: a man dressed as Batman riding a customized trike, speeding down the expressway. (Japan Today)

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